Job summary
Working Full time: 37.5 hours per week
We are looking for a Senior Community Support Worker to work within the Rapid Response Team, providing an early supported discharge service to patients from the Countess of Chester Hospital & Ellesmere Port Hospital.
The post involves assisting patients with their activities of daily living, providing resettlement, rehabilitation & care to patients in their own home, delivered in accordance with the patient's Care Plan.
The post holder will support therapists and nurses with their patient caseload and have general administrative and housekeeping tasks as required to facilitate the smooth running of the service.
Main duties of the job
This person will also support the Band 3 Community Support Workers to manage their caseload and have some basic line management responsibilities. They will need to use their organisational and clinical skills to allocate work and react to service demands.
This person will use their clinical knowledge and excellent communication skills to reduce care as indicated and to refer patients on to relevant community pathways.
About us
The Trust's services are provided from three locations:
o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.
The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ level 4 or equivalent
- ECDL or CLIAT qualification
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience working in a health or social care setting, working as a therapy assistant
- Experience of delivering therapy programmes to patients with complex needs
- Supervisory experience
- Knowledge of a range of presenting conditions and implications for swallowing and communication
- Carry out interventions using a criteria led discharge protocol
- Able to undertake reviews and amend action plans accordingly
Desirable
- Understanding of professional conduct
- Health, safety and risk awareness
- Experience of undertaking reviews and amending action plans
Skills
Essential
- Excellent verbal skills
- Able to demonstrate ability to use basic Microsoft packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Good level of literacy skills to complete therapy documentation and referrals to other services
- Able to communicate with a range of professionals, patients and relatives regarding patient treatment plans both in the hospital and in the community
Desirable
- Working knowledge of Meditech system
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ level 4 or equivalent
- ECDL or CLIAT qualification
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience working in a health or social care setting, working as a therapy assistant
- Experience of delivering therapy programmes to patients with complex needs
- Supervisory experience
- Knowledge of a range of presenting conditions and implications for swallowing and communication
- Carry out interventions using a criteria led discharge protocol
- Able to undertake reviews and amend action plans accordingly
Desirable
- Understanding of professional conduct
- Health, safety and risk awareness
- Experience of undertaking reviews and amending action plans
Skills
Essential
- Excellent verbal skills
- Able to demonstrate ability to use basic Microsoft packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Good level of literacy skills to complete therapy documentation and referrals to other services
- Able to communicate with a range of professionals, patients and relatives regarding patient treatment plans both in the hospital and in the community
Desirable
- Working knowledge of Meditech system
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
